State residents enrolled at Christian Life College face among the lowest cost of attending four-year in-state colleges and universities in the U.S., according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of federal data.

State residents enrolled at Illinois Institute of Technology face among the steepest cost of attending four-year in-state colleges and universities in the U.S., according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of federal data.

Twenty-four Illinois counties, including Bureau County, have more registered voters than residents of voting age, according to a notice-of-violation letter sent to the state by a conservative transparency group recently.

When the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) scheduled a strike vote earlier this year, many viewed the move as another tactic orchestrated by the union to prevent Gov. Bruce Rauner from imposing his last, best offer.

Not all Illinois public employees who are members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are gung-ho and in lockstep with the government-worker union's negotiating tactics.

Terming the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) an “800-pound gorilla at the negotiating table,” the Illinois Policy Institute recently examined the relationship between the union and Illinois workers, suggesting that the balance of power tends to tilt toward the union.

In a victory for Gov. Bruce Rauner and his administration, the Illinois Labor Relations Board ruled in a 5-0 vote on Nov. 15 that the state and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have reached an impasse in their contract negotiations.

Nationally, the unemployment rate for black Americans stands at 8.1 percent, which is higher than the national average of all Americans; but Illinois has the highest black unemployment rate in the entire country at 15 percent.

In the overwhelming majority of states, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to families with an illegal immigrant wage earner in it while denying benefits to an identical family of American citizens having the same income, according to a report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).